high handed GM,loses when players leave...
I hear your legit complaints,but im here to tell yah,most rule slinging is created by the game itself. I myself am a semiretired rules warrior, but I wasn't allways like this...
My first character was polymorphed into a unicorn,fitted with magic horseshoes,and when the transformation ended, left with the shoes nailed to my hands and feet.The damage killed me. It was 1980,I was 10 years old.
What had happened?Innocent me had stumbbled onto what I thought was a shared make believe,only to find out it wasn't that at all,but rather it was a game,a game with rules, with winnwers and losers...
I did not succumb to the dark side all at once, just enogh to survive at first, then just a little more so I could be effective-you get the idea. Soon I was waging full blown gurrila war vs. my Gm, the other players, any and all comers.I built playerhating one trick killmonsters and twisted omnicapable freeks in every system I played.This is not what I wanted, it was only what I knew.It continued until i was sick of it,and I gave it up to go break my self on the rock that is woman(i better now).
So who cares right?I mean why play if it is like that all the time?I wouldn't any more.Now a days the game might start with me consulting my gm and fellow players over the spell list for my character.I suggest that some be removed for flavor or balance,we consult and decide,Gm makes the call.
Then he tells me to add skills to my class list,which frees up some feats,and I take that undead bat familier that i wanted, being careful to point out the freeky manuver that i want to do,so as to make sure it works and doesn't offend any ones sensablities...
I can do this with these guys because we have trust and good sense in commen.We all want glory, power , and most of all, fun!
I have also found a way to stop power mad Gm's without stooping to their level- I walk away.
Wish I had learned that 20 plusyears ago!
